Sunday, September 19, 2010

Some days it feels like my head's not screwed on all the way. I seem to muck up all sorts of tasks, even the ones that usually bring comfort through their familiarity. Like baking up a batch of cupcakes. This time they were to be black sesame matcha (green tea) flavored for September's caffeine-themed Cupcake Hero challenge. The first wave of trouble hit when I attempted an ambitious photo of the ingredients. As you'll see below, it turned out to require balancing skills beyond what I possess -- oops!

Well I cleaned up the mess and forged onward. So determined was I, in fact, that I ignored the fact that my batter looked thin enough for crepes... Only after pulling a gooey mess (yep, another one) out of the oven did it dawn on me that I'd forgotten to decrease the liquid when I halved the original recipe. As I dumped my rawcakes into the garbage, I couldn't help but wonder if my mind had gone on vacation without the rest of me. Have you guys had days like this, too?

It took 2 days for the shame to wear off, but I did try again and apparently second time's the charm. The cakes rose high and fluffy and were filled with the distinct nuttiness of sesame. The matcha cream cheese frosting was also a success. Tangy and just sweet enough to offset the bitter edge of green tea but firm enough to pipe, thanks to a new method using cold cream cheese. What a relief it'll be not to choose anymore between flavorful but goopy or thicker but tooth-ache inducing frosting!

Some of you may not be familiar with black sesame, so I'll leave you with a lil' background info. Personally, I don't feel it's very different from white sesame as whole seeds. Both are used primarily for their look and crunchiness. But when ground, black sesame has a richer and slightly more bitter flavor that I find delicious. I was introduced to it early on in Chinese treats like sweet rice dumplings (tang yuan) with a sesame filling and a pudding-like soup (zi ma hu) many Chinese believe to prevent gray hair (I doubt that works, but the seed is high in calcium, iron, copper, magnesium, phosphorus.). Now that I've also found these cupcakes and other creative uses for it (e.g., in panna cotta or macarons with nutella), black sesame will definitely be appearing frequently in my kitchen.

XIAOLU'S NOTES: I actually used 36 g of a pre-ground black sesame powder but still followed the same toasting and grinding process. Both whole and ground seeds are available at well-stocked Asian grocers. If you're able to find and use the powder, be sure to keep a close eye on it in the pan. The frosting recipe below made a little more than needed to frost the cupcakes you see in the photos. Scale the recipe up or down, if you usually prefer more or less frosting. This method makes for a firmer cream cheese frosting than is common and should be pipeable.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a standard muffin pan with 12 baking liners.

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan on the stove over medium heat, stirring them constantly, until they are fragrant (about 2 minutes). Crush toasted seeds with a mortar and pestle OR spice grinder until they are the texture of damp sand and set aside. Separately, sift the dry ingredients into a medium bowl; set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the ground sesame seeds, egg, and vanilla and beat until combined. Gradually beat in half the dry ingredients. Add the milk and mix well. Lastly, add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until batter is well-combined and smooth.

Fill cupcake liners until they are about 2/3 full (I like to use my large cookie scoop for this). Lift the pan 1-inch above the kitchen counter and carefully slam it down to expel any large air bubbles in the batter. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from pan as soon as safely possible. Cool completely before frosting as desired. Sprinkle the top of each cupcake with extra sesame seeds.

Sift powdered sugar and matcha together into a small bowl. In a larger mixing bowl, cream the butter, powdered sugar mixture, and vanilla until thoroughly blended. Add the cream cheese, a chunk at a time, beating after each addition (just enough to work it in).

i've always had problems working with cold cream cheese and it not incorporating completely and leaving little chunks, did that not happen to you with this method? probably not, your frosting looks so perfect!

I actually like the 'failed' photo. It's almost as if the ingredients are layered in an ombre-effect. I too forget to halve some ingredients when I use half the recipe sometimes. Happens to everybody! Your second batch certainly looks like a success!

I've definitely had those types of days in the kitchen, but I'm glad that you share your mishaps and such - it makes us all feel a little better about our own. I love using the flavors of tea in unconventional ways and this recipe sounds like a really innovative use of sesame - can't wait to try it!

Now you're speaking my language! I rarely make matcha-flavored anything, since my family isn't crazy for it, but these may just have to make an appearance in my kitchen. Brilliant to pair it with sesame, another under-appreciated flavor.

Michelle - you flatter you flatter 8). I cut the cold cream cheese into about 3/4-inch chunks and add them a few at a time. I didn't have any problems getting it smooth but be sure you BUTTER is room temperature or even slightly softer. I tried to add just 2 tablespoons of cooler butter toward the end and had a heck of a time smoothing it out.

Rosa - Glad you enjoy them :).

Joanne - Aw, yea that definitely sounds like it would cause issues with the end result. But clearly from looking at your blog you have plenty of successes too.

Danielle - Thanks! It's good to know I'm not the only occasional airhead hehe.

Hannah - I know what you mean! My boyfriend doesn't actually like matcha flavoring. And he told me a lot of people were too afraid to try these when he brought them in. Fortunately, the ones that did really enjoyed them and some even got seconds.

Thanks for the black sesame info! V interesting. Love the look of these little cakes. And thanks for the link to the black sesame dumplings!& yes I have SO had days like that. I swear halving the recipe is tricky - I always seem to forget to halve one ingredient ;)Heidi xo

I get quite depressed when I make a thoughtless mistake with my cooking! It takes me a couple of days too to work up the spirit to bother trying again. Sigh!

This recipe looks fantastic. I've been wanting to get sesame seeds into a cupcake for ages (since I had a sesame smoothie a while back and it was AMAZING and resulted in me going on the hunt to buy sesame seeds in bulk) but wasn't sure if it would work. Obviously it does! Shall have to give it a go.

Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry the batter ended up in the garbage - but I believe we all have been there. There are days when I just can't focus, or focus on something else (like when I have to do something boring at work and all I can think of is that I wish I were home baking something delicious). :DThese cupcakes are fabulous! Yum!

Xiaolu, there is no need to feel ashamed about the blunder.... We've all had days like these. Actually your spilled ingredients shots look quite strangely beautiful..:) but of course the cupcakes are absolutely stunning. The texture of the frosting really photograph very well... I should try it soon!

Oh yes. I have many many baking days like this. I love to bake, but I often forget the salt or forget to check on the muffins in the oven. This leads to tasteless treats or, more tragically, burnt ones! Days like this are commonplace! Your cupcakes are gorgeous,however. I think it was well worth the wait and extra work! xo

Oh I have definitely had days like that! I thought the photo with all the fallen cups was done on purpose and when I first saw it I thought it was such a creative way to present the ingredients! These are some truly gorgeous and delicious sounding cupcakes you've created. I'm such a matcha addict and I'm really loving the idea of it in a cream cheese icing!

Matcha Green Tea is great for cleaning the body of harmful toxins because it is rich in Chlorophyll, which is a well-known detoxifying agent. Chlorophyll is quite simply the pigment which supplies leaves with their lovely green color. But more than just a color, it can also help to get rid of chemical toxins and heavy metals from your body. Unlike tea leaves, (which are used to infuse water and then discarded), Matcha Green Tea powder is actually completely consumed when drank, (or used in cooking). Matcha Green Tea is also grown in the shade rather than direct sunlight, a technique that boosts the chlorophyll content in its leaves.

I just made these for a friends B-Day party ...and they came out great!! I found a good size bag of the black sesame seeds at my Asian Grocer for $1.99... thank you for the fun inspiration! Now..what to make next with the rest of them :)

Thanks so much for the feedback, Sarah! Happy belated birthday to you friend! You probably saw these already, but I actually linked to several other ideas in my post above for black sesame seeds, including sticky rice dumplings, macarons,panna cotta, and a healthy Chinese dessert soup. From doing a quick search just now, I also like the idea of black sesame ice cream (I've eaten this and LOVE it) and this black sesame chiffon cake: http://wensdelight.blogspot.com/2009/11/black-sesame-chiffon-cake.html If you try any of these out, I'd love to hear how it goes!

Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. The mixture of black sesame and matcha is simply scrumptious! The first time I tried this recipe, it was a tad bit too sweet (not much of a sweet tooth), so I reduced the sugar content by half this time around. Absolutely splendid. Thank you again!!

Hi there! I'm so glad you're planning to try this :). Pre-ground means exactly what it sounds like, but I'm spoiled by having a lot of Asian stores in my area so it's easy to find a variety of Asian specialty ingredients such as black sesame seeds that have been ground to powder already. I'm not sure if the seeds are roasted prior to grinding for the pre-ground powder, but I don't think it hurts to lightly toast them again to bring out the flavor. Hope that helps, but feel free to comment again if you need more clarification or to let me know how it works out! Thanks! -XL